Jean Stockard, PhD

Professor Emerita, University of Oregon

I have Bachelor of Arts degrees in mathematics and sociology, a Masters of Arts in Sociology, and a PhD in Sociology. All of my work is focused, in one way or another, on understanding factors that affect individuals’ well-being and builds on long-standing interests in education, gender, and human development.

From 1974 to 2011 I taught at the University of Oregon in the Departments of Sociology and Planning, Public Policy, and Management. Over the years I have published books and articles in a wide variety of areas including sociology of gender, urban sociology, sociology of education, sociology of health, and demography. I was President of the Pacific Sociological Association, the regional association serving the western United States, Canada, and Mexico, in 2003, and served as co-editor of Sociological Perspectives, a general sociological journal affiliated with the PSA. To see a list of all my publications and selected technical reports and white papers, including, where possible, links to PDFs, click here. The Scholars Bank repository at the University of Oregon also includes copies of most of my writings.

Since retiring from teaching my research has focused on four general areas:

1) Examining trends in generational inequality. The most recent article documents the ways in which national socio-political contexts affect differences between birth cohorts. Click here to see a full list of related publications.

2) Understanding factors that affect the career success of women scientists and engineers and avenues for change. Click here to see a list of related publications. 

3) Examining literature regarding the Direct Instruction curricular programs, a highly structured approach to instruction. With colleagues Tim Wood, Cristy Couthlin, and Caitlin Rasplica Khoury I conducted an extensive meta-analysis of this literature. Results are published in the monograph All Students Can Succeed and summarized in this short, accessible article. Click here to see a full list of my publications in this area.

4) Understanding variations in values, attitudes and life perspectives of adults in midlife. A summary of this work, done in collaboration with Professor Gaylene Carpenter is in our book, A Decade of Change and Continuity in Midlife, and a full list of our publications in this area can be found by clicking here.

To contact me via e-mail, click here.

Last updated September 5, 2026.